May book club: In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

The Boys in the Boat was a great book to read and feel proud to be an American and proud of our connections to the University of Washington. These boys were amazing in what they were able to accomplish and all the while each one of them felt that they were the weak link. Very humble men and such amazing character traits. Great writing too!! Thanks for the video clips and for a great read Margaret.

Our next book club will be hosted by Telarry on Wednesday May 6th at 7 pm. Her selection will be:

 

Goodreads says:

Set during the waning days of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic in 1960, this extraordinary novel tells the story the Mirabal sisters, three young wives and mothers who are assassinated after visiting their jailed husbands.
From the author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents comes this tale of courage and sisterhood set in the Dominican Republic during the rise of the Trujillo dictatorship. A skillful blend of fact and fiction, In the Time of the Butterflies is inspired by the true story of the three Mirabal sisters who, in 1960, were murdered for their part in an underground plot to overthrow the government. Alvarez breathes life into these historical figures--known as "las mariposas," or "the butterflies," in the underground--as she imagines their teenage years, their gradual involvement with the revolution, and their terror as their dissentience is uncovered.

A goodreads reader says:

"In the Time of the Butterflies" was beautiful and sad. I loved every one of the sisters. Their sacrifice, during the Trujillo regime, made me question what I would be willing to sacrifice for freedom and it made me think about my sister. The image that made me cry and made me angry was of the sisters standing in the garden one night looking back at the lit house as their mama bustles around getting their children ready for bed. Alvarez says they look at the house with longing as if they were already dead and wishing to watch their children grow up. That decision between political upheaval and being with and living for their children haunted me. How could they sacrifice a life with their children? I know they were fighting against an oppressive, tyrannical regime and that they believed their fight for freedom was to create a better world for their children. I guess it bothers me because I admired the sisters but I wouldn't have made the same choice.

Sounds like a book that will start a great discussion.

Hope to see you in May.

April book club: The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

Can I just say our discussion on The Demon in the Freezer opened our eyes a little WIDE about the possibilities of another small pox threat. Wow, to think this is still “hiding” in a freezer just waiting for our government to decide it is an acceptable risk to study it? On the other scientific hand, what a great bunch of people who worked so hard to eradicate this thing. Germs are everywhere and we can’t go crazy but we must use our heads as well. Great discussion, thanks Tansy!!

Our next book club will be hosted by Margaret on April 8th. Her selection will be:

 

Goodreads says:

Daniel James Brown’s robust book tells the story of the University of Washington’s 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936.
The emotional heart of the story lies with one rower, Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not for glory, but to regain his shattered self-regard and to find a place he can call home. The crew is assembled  by an enigmatic coach and mentored by a visionary, eccentric British boat builder, but it is their trust in each other that makes them a victorious team. They remind the country of what can be done when everyone quite literally pulls together—a perfect melding of commitment, determination, and optimism.
Drawing on the boys’ own diaries and journals, their photos and memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, The Boys in the Boat is an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate story of nine working-class boys from the American west who, in the depths of the Great Depression, showed the world what true grit really meant.

A goodreads reader says:

Quite an uplifting story of the young men from the University of Washington who took the gold medal for nine-men shell rowing at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Like Hillenbrand’s wonderful book “Seabiscuit” this is a tale of underdogs overcoming personal adversities and capturing the attention of a nation laid low by the Great Depression.

Sounds like a great book, especially being from the Northwest.

See you in April